Teens Set 15 yr old on Fire(Critical Condition) Then Laughed At Him

[look4u]

Five teens are charged with aggravated battery in Brewer's burning Monday at a Deerfield Beach apartment complex, which authorities said was prompted by a dispute over a video game that escalated when someone tried to steal a bicycle that belonged to the boy's father.

The teen accused of flicking the lighter after Brewer was doused with rubbing alcohol also faces an attempted second-degree murder charge. All of the teens face the possibility of having their cases moved to adult court.

Brewer's doctor said he is doing as well as can be expected, but faces years of skin grafts, therapy and surgery, and that potentially fatal organ failure and infections are common in cases so severe.

More at link

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI134191/

[annalyzer]

Oh God this just makes me sick. And very angry. It's just not normal, it is downright evil, for teens to behave in this manner. The one who poured the fluid on him and the one who set him ablaze should get life sentences. I don't know the extent the others had a hand in this but if they knew this was going to happen then no matter their ages they should get harsh sentences too.

[LiveLaughLuv]

"In my 31 years -- I always say, 'it's the most heinous crime I've ever seen,' " Lamberti told reporters Tuesday. "This one fits in that category. The fact that a person would intentionally ignite another child on fire -- it's indescribable."
Brewer "reported somebody for stealing his dad's bike," the sheriff said. "That's what this comes down to. It's retaliation. They deliberately sought him out, poured alcohol on him and set him on fire. I can tell you there's no way to explain it, no way to rationalize it."

I agree this is indescribable on how I feel about what those boys did deliberately!

I think it's safe to say, they need to be locked up and that key thrown away, forever..how sad and how sadisitic to watch this boy burn alive.

I do wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure he's got a long road ahead of him. His mental state should also be treated, this boy is so lucky to be alive. Not sure how he's going to feel once he sees his scars, for every time he sees them, it's a reminder of this horrific crime.

I truly hope he survives...it will be touch and go for a while...
JMHO

[Roamer]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/02/...ery/index.html






Set afire, teen now struggles for survival









By Rich Phillips, CNN
November 2, 2009 5:30 p.m. EST


"Eventually he will be whole again," his parents said of Michael Brewer, seen at 13.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Police say teens doused Michael Brewer, 15, with rubbing alcohol and set him ablaze
• Attack came after Brewer reported that one boy had stolen his father's bicycle
• 65 percent of Brewer's body is covered in second-, third-degree burns
• Teen suspects appeared before judges Monday in Florida

Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress, to reduce pressure on his burned body. He is covered with bandages; a ventilator breathes for Michael Brewer because he can't do it for himself.

He's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again.

Sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns.

"People are writing horror stories ... but people just can't imagine the kind of sickness we're talking about," said Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami.

"I've been to movies like everyone else, and Hollywood hasn't even thought of something like this," Namias said.

Brewer is heavily sedated, and the ventilator does not allow him to speak. His open wounds are covered by bandages, which are changed daily. It's a four-hour process.

He has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began October 12, when police say five teenage friends, including a 13-year-old, doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.

The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father's bicycle. Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $40 for a video game.

According to police, witnesses said the teens called Brewer "a snitch" as they used a lighter to set him ablaze.

Namias explained how Brewer's organs are not functioning the way they should be, but that is expected at this early stage of recovery.

"He's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation. We are breathing for him. His contribution to the breathing is trivial," Namias said.

Namias also explained that in burn cases, words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly.

"When you say he's doing OK, in this situation it means he's alive and responding to treatments," Namias said. "We're still dealing with the respiratory failure. We're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive."

On Monday, the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in Broward County, Florida.

State prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case. Formal charges are expected later this month. For now, all five teens are being held in custody.

Four of the boys, all 15 years old, could be charged as adults. The 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under Florida law only if Brewer dies.

Michael Brewer's parents, Valerie and Michael Brewer Sr., issued a written statement through the hospital last week. They are not granting interviews.

"The recovery process will be baby steps, but eventually he will be whole again," they wrote.

But their son's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee.

"There's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn," Namias said.

"Surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do. This is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [operating room], and say everything's going to be OK," he added.
"We never give up, and we never predict it. ... Our expectation is survival."

Across the hospital floor in the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, six other people's lives also are at stake: all victims of various accidents, all with burns similar to Michael Brewer's. They, too, are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have.

"It's understandable that people can be burned in accidents," Namias said.

"But this was no accident. This didn't have to happen at all."

[Lizziebeth]

poor kid:(

[LiveLaughLuv]

Brewer is heavily sedated, and the ventilator does not allow him to speak. His open wounds are covered by bandages, which are changed daily. It's a four-hour process.

He has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began October 12, when police say five teenage friends, including a 13-year-old, doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.

The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father's bicycle. Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $40 for a video game.

According to police, witnesses said the teens called Brewer "a snitch" as they used a lighter to set him ablaze.

Namias explained how Brewer's organs are not functioning the way they should be, but that is expected at this early stage of recovery.

"He's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation. We are breathing for him. His contribution to the breathing is trivial," Namias said.

Poor boy, I truly hope he can survive, he has a long road ahead of him and his scars physically and emotionally will be haunting him the rest of his life. Those boys who did this must receive the harshest punishment allowable by law..truly heartless to burn a boy alive over a $40 video game...senseless..

[Tracian]

I still can't wrap my brain around this case. It is one thing, to set a person on fire, maybe not really understanding the fact that this person could die, but then to laugh when this child is screaming in pain...

Something is missing, IMO, it is quite possible that these young people have done horrible things to living beings in the past, to be so uneffected by the result of their actions does not mesh with a 'first' time thing.

[annalyzer]

Health scare for teen burn victim Michael Brewer
Sister of Deerfield burn victim finds charred dolls in pool

November 5, 2009

MIAMI -
Complications set in Thursday morning for teenage burn victim Michael Brewer, who has been stabilized and remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Burn Center in Miami, his doctor said.

Dr. Nicholas Namias, director of the Burn Center, said Brewer suffered from an irregular heartbeat, prompting emergency treatment but not resulting in a more permanent downturn in the boy's condition.

"One of the problems we said could happen, happened," Namias said. "It came and it went. It has us worried. We don't want it to happen again. But this is why we have him in the [intensive care unit]."

Since Brewer was brought into the Burn Center in the hours following the Oct. 12 burning incident, Namias has said he faces a long and difficult recovery that will be marked by possible infections and fluctuations in his condition. "There will be more surprises," he said. "We have to be ready for them, even though we don't know what they will be."

Brewer was attacked on Oct. 12 in Deerfield Beach when five boys doused him with alcohol and set him on fire, authorities said.

Brewer jumped into a pool outside the Limetree Village apartments to put out the flames. He remains in critical condition.

The boys, ranging in age from 16 to 13, are charged with aggravated assault. One of them, Jesus Mendez, 16, also is charged with attempted murder. The boys are due to be formally charged next week. Prosecutor Maria Schneider said that while she's prepared to file charges without first interviewing Brewer, she's still hopeful she will get his firsthand account in time.

Investigators also are looking into a report that Brewer's sister discovered two charred dolls floating in her backyard pool Wednesday afternoon.

According to the report released by the Broward Sheriff's Office, Melissa Durkee, 22, found the gate to her backyard open at 1 p.m. and found the two toy dolls, burnt and joined together heads to feet.

The dolls belonged to Durkee's two daughters, who had left them in the front yard of her Deerfield Beach home the night before, she told deputies. Durkee told deputies she heard her dog barking overnight.

Sheriff's office deputies have knocked on doors to see if neighbors had any information. No one has been arrested.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Broward County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 954-493-TIPS (8477).

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,6752626.story

[annalyzer]

Family of teen set on fire gets apology from suspects' mom


Sherry Jarvis apologizes Wednesday with her daughters, Elyse, left, and Danielle, and her husband, Denver.

By Rich Phillips, CNN
November 5, 2009 6:16 p.m. EST

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- She walked to the cameras and could barely look up. With her lip quivering, Sherry Jarvis apologized to the family of 15-year-old Michael Brewer, who is clinging to life in a hospital burn unit.

Jarvis is the mother of two boys who, along with three other youths, are accused in the burning of Brewer. Detectives say witnesses saw Brewer, consumed in flames, run about a hundred yards, tear off his shirt and jump into a swimming pool.

Brewer's screams can be heard on a 911 call from the October 12 incident. Doctors say he was burned on about 65 percent of his body.

"I'd just like to express how horribly sorry we are," Jarvis said in a public statement she and her family made Wednesday. Accompanied by her husband and two daughters, Jarvis spoke slowly as she addressed a gathering of reporters.

"This is a horrible incident that should have never had occurred." said Jarvis, her voice full of sorrow and shock. Her sons, ages 13 and 15, face charges that could send them to prison for a long time.

Authorities in Broward County, Florida, believe that Brewer was attacked in a chain of events that began when he did not pay one of the five boys $40 for a video game. That boy stole Brewer's father's bicycle, and when Brewer told police, the youth was arrested, then released, authorities said.

The next day, the group of five teens allegedly surrounded Brewer and, according to eyewitnesses, yelled, "He's a snitch. He's a snitch" before one of them poured alcohol over him, another sparked a lighter, and Brewer was ablaze.

All of the boys had been friends since elementary school, authorities said. They did sleepovers at one another's homes, and their families knew each other.

"We pray for Michael's recovery every day, that he gets stronger, which we know in our hearts that he will," Sherry Jarvis said.

But doctors are unsure about his recovery.

Brewer remains on a ventilator. A machine is breathing for him. Each day, a team of doctors spends about four hours changing his bandages.

He remains heavily sedated and is going through a very difficult period right now, according to doctors.

"The swelling has come way down, and you can recognize facial expressions now," said Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami.

"We're still dealing with the respiratory failure. We're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive," Namias told CNN.

"People are writing horror stories ... but people just can't imagine the kind of sickness we're talking about. He is by no means well ... but the expectation is survival," he said.

Because he is sedated and on the ventilator, Brewer has been unable to communicate with detectives.

Earlier this week, prosecutors were granted extra time to build their cases against the five teens, four 15-year-olds and the 13-year-old. Prosecutors have until November 12 to charge the five as adults, or they will be charged as juveniles and released pending trial later.

The 13-year-old cannot face adult charges under Florida law, but that would change if Brewer died.

Prosecutors want to interview Brewer about the incident, but doctors say that is unlikely to happen before next week.

Brewer's family was not represented at the Jarvis family's public apology. The victim's parents could not be reached for comment.

After making her apology, Jarvis said the family would not take questions from the gathered reporters.

"I don't have the words to express any more. I can't answer any more questions because of the criminal case that's still pending," she said.

The Jarvis family has received death threats, according to family members and their attorney. They haven't stayed at their home since the incident, they say, adding that people have been throwing garbage and even dead animals on their property.

On Wednesday, with their attorney at their side, they simply wanted to say to Michael Brewer and his family that they are sorry.

Detectives have returned to the Brewer house, after two dolls were found in the swimming pool. The male and female dolls had been melted together, head to feet.

"At this point, we're thinking it's a sick joke, said Jim Leljedal, a spokesman for the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

"It's being classified as criminal mischief, but we'd like to know who's responsible," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/05/...ogy/index.html

[look4u]

Examiner Bio

Michael Brewer, boy set on fire by bullies is breathing on his own

Michael Brewer, the boy who was set on fire by five classmates in October was taken off the ventilator yesterday and is now breathing on his own. Michael is expected to live, but has burns over most his body

more at link

http://www.examiner.com/x-19632-Salt-Lake-City-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m11d11-Michael-Brewer-boy-set-on-fire-by-bullies-is-breathing-on-his-own